THE BEST ROCK FESTIVAL IN ENGLAND? MUST BE 2000TREES

FESTIVAL REVIEW | 2000TREES 2025 by Jack Flynn

A sea of black band t-shirts in a heatwave? That can only mean one thing, it’s time for 2000 Trees, the best rock festival in England.

“The stage manager has flagged this one as ‘potentially gnarly’…” was the first thing I overheard a security guard bellow to his team as I made my way into the mainstage photopit for the first time at this year’s 2000 Trees Festival. I dread to think of the number of flags they must have had pinned into their backstage running order notes because I don’t think there was a single performance across the whole weekend that didn’t involve a constant supply of ecstatic crowdsurfers, circle pit pandemonium and the most blistering punk, rock and metal riffs in the scene right now.

There’s no denying the atmosphere of a Glastonbury crowd, but it’s a welcome change to actually be in crowd surfing distance of some of your life-size favourite bands, Determined to maintain the festival’s small but beautiful atmosphere, the festival is capped at an audience of 15,000, a massive contrast to the crowds and endless queues of Glastonbury. 

Added to that the festival’s consistent backing of real emerging talent year after year, means 2000 Trees can rely on a loyal crop of some of the festival circuits most exciting, most talked about new bands like Unpeople, or even Kneecap returning to headline, after starting off on 2000 Tree’s smallest stages. 

The band that had been flagged for impending gnarlyness was none other than the mighty SNAYX, a Brighton three piece with savagely political lyrics and even more savage riffs. No guitar in sight, just Ollie Horner’s thundering bass lines dripping in synthy FX and chainsaw fuzz. Within a couple of songs, lead singer Charlie Herridge is carving the enormous crowd in two, allowing it to implode around him in a gargantuan mosh pit, before surfing his way back to the stage for the rest of the set. Despite the ever increasing temperature of the sun, their epic cover of Prodigy’s ‘Breathe’ and the insanely danceable synth punk banger, ‘Sink Or Swim’ kept the whole crowd jumping throughout.

Up next was a raucous semi-farewell show from Trees regulars, Kid Kapichi, as this gig was their penultimate performance before the departure of two founding members, guitarist Ben Beetham and drummer George Macdonald. The 2000 Trees crowd turned up in force, to pack out the Axiom stage to catch one of the highlights of the weekend. Danceable beat punk bangers like ‘Get Down,’ getting the party started with a pairing of Royal Blood style monster riffs and lairy spoken word verses about the highs and lows of a night on the tiles. A shout out to Bob Vylan, whose pre-recorded feature booms out of the speakers for his guest verse on ‘New England,’ a scathing attack on the short-sightedness of ill-informed Brexiteers. 

It was time for my first foray into the Forest Stage, an incredible stage buried in the woods, and off the beaten track of the main festival, where Bambi Thug – a Eurovision-contesting artist delivered a captivating performance. With zero onstage instruments for support, just two leather-clad, mask-wearing backing dancers, their show was part musical expression, part interpretive dance as they performed their self coined “ouija-pop”, best described as a mix of metal, pop, and just about any other genre they care to infuse.

2025 was the year of minimalism: numerous duos challenged tradition, proving that you don’t need a four-piece, or even a guitar, to make a statement. A striking example was the genre-melding Big Special, just a drummer and vocalist. Songs like ‘This Here Ain’t Water’ fused bluesy Tom Waits‑style drawls with spoken‑word verses like a Brummie Mike Skinner.

There was significant anticipation building up for Thursday’s headliners, Irish rappers Kneecap, after a controversial Glastonbury appearance, a blast of media attention, and singer Mo Chara’s ongoing legal battle. The audience, spanning generations, greeted them with cries of solidarity, brandishing tricolor balaclavas and igniting green, white, and orange flares. With songs like ‘Guilty Conscience’ and ‘H.O.O.D’, the crowd erupted into massive shout-alongs. The band also used the platform to denounce the genocide in Gaza, emphasizing that they are not the story, and urged continued awareness and resistance in the face of such oppression.

American slacker skate-punk crew Fidlar laid out a bracing blast of unpolished, scrappy tunes under the afternoon sun. Their witty, sarcastic lyrics tackled mental health, addiction, and substance abuse. Highlights included a cheeky screamo Britpop cover replacing, ‘You’re My Wonderwall’, with ‘Where’s My Alcohol?’ 

Friday’s headliners Taking Back Sunday took to the stage in matching suits, immediately rallying the audience for giant singalongs. After more than 25 years in the game, they still know how to connect with a crowd, delivering their catalogue with energy and sincerity.

Scottish punk outfit Soapbox brought a raw and furious energy, as their bare-chested lead singer shoved himself into the mud-strewn crowd, tearing into simple, power-chord anthems. The set was full of scathing tracks calling out fascists and sex offenders, with biting lyrics, a blistering sense of humor, and brutal honesty. Keep an eye out for their tour with Snayx later this year.

One of the most musically intense and thrilling acts of the weekend, Calva Louise delivered a completely unique take on modern metal. Featuring members from Venezuela, France, and New Zealand, the band’s evolution from indie pop to alt-rock and now gothic metal is nothing short of remarkable. Dressed in white vampiric costumes with red gloves, the three-piece launched into incredibly complex, epic songs. Virtuosity was on full display as vocalist Jess Allanic showcased fluent dexterity on both piano and guitar, a combination of skills rivalling Matt Bellamy. They showcased their new album, ‘Edge of The Abyss’, released over the weekend, and it’s well worth a listen.

In striking contrast with the many bare-chested and tattooed metal heads striding around, Janine Shilstone, lead singer of Vukovi, an alternative metal synth pop band, bounced onstage like a rock n roll Lady GaGa and was the most glam performer seen all weekend. Her music was suitably arena ready to match. Her popstar aura was punctuated between songs by hilariously down to earth Scottish banter, making the crowd roar with laughter as she dismissed her dance moves as nothing more than a tactic to keep her bare feet cool on the scalding hot stage floor. Her Drummer kindly offered his very well-worn grey trainers, but on seeing them, she threw them back in his face, declaring she would rather suffer. Invested in the footwear dilemma, a crowd member made a more acceptable but equally unfashionable donation, but Shilstone warned, to the crowd’s delight,“Don’t any of yous DARE tell anybody that I’m wearing a pair of fucking Crocs!” 

One of the more adrenaline-filled moments of the weekend, which had everybody’s heart in their mouths, was when wildly energetic lead singer Jason Aalon Butler, from American soul punk band Letlive seized his chance to scale the stage scaffolding in the last five minutes of their set, like a hardcore punk Spider-Man. It’s a trademark move of Butler’s, who also sings in Fever 333, that has made letlive., reunited after nearly a decade, stand out at festivals around the world. His antics prompted them to pull the plug on the sound, with the crowd either gasping in shock or cheering him on, as he swung precariously from the spindly chandelier-like structure, dangling above the heads of his completely unperturbed bandmates, who’ve clearly seen it all before. Luckily he arrives back on solid ground with the grace of a punk trapeze artist and even finishes their last song.

Up-and-coming Irish post‑punk/indie rockers Sprints closed the Axiom stage with a commanding performance. Despite being a possible stylistic outlier for this year’s lineup, as more indie and post punk than hard rock, they embraced the moment, playing gritty, melodic, powerful songs that validated their Axiom stage headliner status.

The veteran American post-hardcore emo band Alexisonfire were tasked with closing out the festival. Despite not knowing much of their catalogue beforehand, I still didn’t expect to see the guitarist wearing sparkly medieval chainmail headwear. What surprised me most, though, were the psychedelic, prog-rock grooves woven throughout the set, anchored by stellar guitar and vocal moments from Dallas Green. Once I connected the dots (yes, that Dallas Green of City and Color fame), the dual nature of the band made sense: hardcore screamo intensity coupled with soulful, psychedelic exploration. They even surprised with a slowed-down, rough-edged cover of Neil Young’s “Hey Hey, My My” a fitting closer that left the crowd awestruck.

Looking back at the lineup for this year’s festival, it kills me to see all the bands I missed due to clashes, or otherwise, like Lake Malice, Karen Dio and Himalayas, but that only serves to show what an excellent roster of acts they are able to book. From the newest bands blazing a trail over at the Neu or Forest Stage, through to the Titans of the scene taking on the main stages. For anyone who delights in distortion, 2000 Trees is a must for 2026. See you in the pit. 

2000 Trees 2026 Festival dates: Wed 8th July – Sat 11th July 2026
2026 TICKETS SUPER EARLY BIRDS PRE SALE ON SALE NOW

30% OFF, zero booking fees & full refunds till the end of 2025.
Only until 28th July: https://2000trees.co.uk/tickets

Installment tickets available from £14.80 for 11 monthly instalments.